Nintendo back in the black for the first time in four years, pulls in $350 million in 2014

Did you hear that? That was a huge sigh of relief from all the executives working at Nintendo. The massive sigh accompanies an announcement that it has returned to profit for the first time in four years with Nintendo pulling in a whopping 41.8 billion yen ($350 million) in its 2014 fiscal year.

Whew, I know, right? In fact, it demolished its own forecast of 30 billion yen ($251 million)! Thank the amiibo.

Battling the powerful PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, not to mention the boom of smartphones, Nintendo has once again adapted to the marketplace and found a way to survive on its own terms. In fact, not only is it surviving, it is also forecasting to thrive with double profits before the next year is over.

"A new source of revenue is expected from a gaming application for smart devices which will be released this year."

Well, what exactly has changed for Nintendo? The big news is of course the five year partnership with DeNA and Nintendo being dragged kicking and screaming into the prosperous world of smartphone gaming. I just simply can't say no to predictions of 3 billion yen ($25 million) a month. I couldn't either.

We have yet to see how Nintendo will introduce these plans, but to say fans are skeptical would be an understatement. Still, if that's what Nintendo needs to do to survive, then so be it! If anybody can bring a change or make a unique imprint on the mobile gaming market, it is definitely Nintendo, as long as it doesn't abandon traditional consoles as well.

Of course, Nintendo also has amiibo to thank for its profits with the little figurines raking in all kinds of cash and hype. Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and 3DS are still enormous for the company as it looks to implementing DLC, and we also have its mysterious healthy life initiative and the licensing of its characters to other companies to thank.

Don't look now, but The Legend of Zelda and Star Fox are both on the way! Nintendo's got its groove back, and it feels so good!